This invention relates to containers for viscous fluids.
A variety of foods, cosmetics, adhesives, and the like are sold in the form of a viscous fluid. Some of the more common foods sold as viscous fluids include ketchup, salad dressings, and sauces. Common cosmetics sold as viscous fluids include shampoos, creams, and lotions. These viscous fluid products are typically sold in relatively tall and thin containers having an opening and a lid at the top. When such a container is relatively full, it is desirable to store it in an upright position (with the opening and lid at the top) for two reasons. First, this position ensures that the product in the container does not drain out if the lid does not seal. Second, this position ensures that a large quantity of the product does not immediately pour out when the lid is removed and the container is turned over. However, when the container is nearly empty, these two reasons become less a factor and the problem of waiting for the product to flow out becomes more important. As the contents of the container decrease, it takes longer for the contents to flow through the container to the opening. As a result, it takes longer for the product is flow out when the container is turned over. Containers are frequently discarded when significant amounts of product remain simply because the time required for the product to flow out becomes unacceptable. Accordingly, there is a demand for a container for viscous fluids that can be stored stably in two positions, one of which is used when the container is full and one of which is used when the container is nearly empty.
Containers that have two storage positions are disclosed in Wachsman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,851,073, issued Mar. 29, 1932; Searer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,757, issued Jul. 16, 1963; White et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,850, issued Feb. 2, 1988; Hartman, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 367,229, issued Feb. 20, 1996; and Hackley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,904, issued Aug. 18, 1998. Other containers have relatively large caps and can be stored either with the cap pointing up or down. However, none of these containers has a position resting on a first face in which the contents are drained away from the opening, a second position resting on an adjacent face in which the contents are drained to the opening, and are stable in both positions.
The general object of this invention is to provide an improved container for viscous fluids. A more particular object is to provide a container that can be stored stably in one of two positionsxe2x80x94a first position when the container is full and a second position when the container is nearly empty. Another more particular object is to provide a container that enables viscous fluids to be poured out more quickly when nearly empty.
I have invented an improved container for viscous fluids. The container comprises: (a) an enclosure having a first face, a second face, and a third face; the second face separating and communicating with the first and the third faces; the first and second faces being substantially flat and having sufficiently large surface areas that the enclosure is stable when resting on either face; the enclosure having an interior wall along the second face that slopes downwardly from the first face to the third face to define a lowermost region at the intersection of the second face and the third face when the container rests on its second face; the enclosure further having an open neck at the intersection of the second face and the third face that extends parallel to the second face; and (b) a lid that fits over the open neck. When the container rests on the first face, the contents of the container drain away from the neck and when the container rests on the second face, the contents of the container drain into the neck.
The container of this invention can be stored in either of two positions. When the container is full, the container is stored resting on it first face with the contents of the container drained away from the neck. When the container is nearly empty, the container is stored resting on its second face with the contents drained toward the neck. This, in turn, enables the contents to be poured out quickly.